Why didn't Snape turn Harry in?

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 159175

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Magpie" <belviso at ...> wrote:
>
> I just finished re-reading HBP and the last chapter brought up a
question--I hope it hasn't been brought up already.
> 
> The Trio is talking about Snape being the Half-Blood Prince and I
think it's Ron who asks why Snape didn't turn Harry in when he
realized Harry was using his old book.  I may be remembering it wrong
(I read it earlier today but don't have the book in front of me now)
but I think Harry even wonders if Snape suspected him of having the
book much earlier, like after Slughorn praised Harry's Potions skills
at the Christmas party.
> 
> Hermione says Snape didn't want Dumbledore to know about his own
connection to the book and some of the spells in it, but that sounds
wrong to me.  It's not like Dumbledore doesn't know the kind of kid
Snape was, right?  He knows he was a DE, which was even worse--the
book was before he worked up to as bad as he could be.  Snape's not
Lupin trying to hide schoolboy indiscretions.  He's an ex-DE.
> 
> The fact that the question is asked, and Hermione's answer doesn't
sound very convincing, and Harry himself says that he should have
shown the book to Dumbledore because it was "proof" that Snape was
evil at school "just like Voldemort" (Harry's even less objective
about the book once he knows it was Snape's) makes me wonder if there
is some more important reason Snape didn't turn Harry in.  Was there
something in the book Snape wanted Harry to have?  Did Dumbledore know
of it too and also want Harry to have it?  Was it information that
Snape wanted Harry to have access to without Dumbledore knowing or
agreeing?  Is there something in it that will help Harry later--Harry
did make a point of hiding the book so he can still get it when he
wants.  Was that scene only to give us a chance to see the Vanishing
Cabinet was in the RoR, or will we return to it?
> 
> Or perhaps Hermione's explanation was right, but it sure didn't seem
right to me--I especially doubt that DDM!Snape would be hiding
something like that from Dumbledore. Or is there some obvious answer
to this in the book that I've completely missed or forgotten?
> 
> -m

Carol responds:
I intend to bring up a question along these lines in the chapter
discussion for "Sectumsempra" in November, but for now I'll point out
that Snape not only didn't tell Slughorn that Harry was cheating, he
didn't expel him, or request his expulsion, for using a potentially
deadly spell. I can only conclude that Snape is trying to help Harry
somehow, to keep him safely in school, for one thing, but he may also
want him to use the book. (Note that he didn't identify himself as the
author of the spells and potions hints at that point, as he could have
done.) Maybe if Harry had told him the truth about where he found the
spell, Snape would have told the truth in return?

Seems like yet another missed opportunity for understanding to me.

Carol, who doesn't want to say any more on the topic right now